Oriental Republic of Uruguay República Oriental del Uruguay (Spanish) | |
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Motto: Libertad o Muerte "Freedom or Death" | |
Anthem: Himno Nacional de Uruguay "National Anthem of Uruguay" | |
Sol de Mayo[1][2] (Sun of May) ![]() | |
![]() Location of Uruguay (dark green) | |
Capital and largest city | Montevideo 34°53′S 56°10′W / 34.883°S 56.167°W |
Official language | |
Ethnic groups (2011) |
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Religion (2021)[5] |
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Demonym(s) | Uruguayan |
Government | Unitary presidential republic |
Luis Lacalle Pou | |
Beatriz Argimón | |
Legislature | General Assembly |
Senate | |
Chamber of Representatives | |
Independence from Brazil | |
• Declared | 25 August 1825 |
27 August 1828 | |
15 February 1967 | |
Area | |
• Total | 176,215 km2 (68,037 sq mi)[6][7] (89th) |
• Water (%) | 1.5 |
Population | |
• 2023 census | 3,444,263[7] (132nd) |
• Density | 19.5/km2 (50.5/sq mi) (206th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | ![]() |
• Per capita | ![]() |
GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | ![]() |
• Per capita | ![]() |
Gini (2022) | ![]() medium inequality |
HDI (2022) | ![]() very high (52nd) |
Currency | Uruguayan peso (UYU) |
Time zone | UTC−3 (UYT) |
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +598 |
ISO 3166 code | UY |
Internet TLD | .uy |
Uruguay (/ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/ [11] YOOR-ə-gwy, Spanish: [uɾuˈɣwaj] ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. It is part of the Southern Cone region of South America. Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,215 square kilometres (68,037 sq mi).[7] It has a population of around 3.4 million, of whom nearly 2 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo.
The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers 13,000 years ago.[12] The predominant tribe at the moment of the arrival of Europeans was the Charrúa people. At the same time, there were also other tribes, such as the Guaraní and the Chaná, when the Portuguese first established Colonia do Sacramento in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans later than its neighboring countries.
The Spanish founded Montevideo as a military stronghold in the early 18th century due to competing claims over the region, while Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the first half of the 19th century.[13] From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, numerous pioneering economic, labor, and social reforms were implemented, which led to the creation of a highly developed welfare state, which is why the country began to be known as "Switzerland of the Americas".[14] However, a series of economic crises and the fight against far-left urban guerrilla warfare in the late 1960s and early 1970s culminated in the 1973 coup d'état, which established a civic-military dictatorship until 1985.[15] Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.
Uruguay is described as a "full democracy" and is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, economic freedom, social progress, income equality, per capita income, innovation, and infrastructure.[16][17][18] The country has fully legalized cannabis (the first country in the world to do so), as well as same-sex marriage, prostitution, and abortion. It is a United Nations, OAS, and Mercosur founding member.
In the meantime, while the crowd assembled in the plaza continued to shout its demands at the cabildo, the sun suddenly broke through the overhanging clouds and clothed the scene in brilliant light. The people looked upward with one accord and took it as a favorable omen for their cause. This was the origin of the ″sun of May″ which has appeared in the center of the Argentine flag and on the Argentine coat of arms ever since.
The sun's features are those of Inti, the Incan sun god. The sun commemorates the appearance of the Sun through cloudy skies on May 25, 1810, during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence.
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